In one of the most impactfulDarth Vadercomic stories, the Sith Lord’s struggle to bend a kyber crystal to his will led to a vision of a potential alternate fate, as the fallen Jedi Anakin Skywalker glimpsed a path not taken, one that would have led him to reconcile with Obi-Wan Kenobi, even after their tragic duel on Mustafar.
Marvel’s 2017-2018Darth Vaderseries – written by franchise-fixture Charles Soule, with art by Giuesppe Camuncoli –begins whenRevenge of the Sithends, with Vader waking upin his armor asking about Padme. However, Vader has little time to process everything that has happened before Palpatine sends him on a mission to procure a lightsaber.
This seemingly simple task, however, leads Vader directly toa confrontation with the choice he has made between light and darkness, between Obi-Wan and Palpatine – and confirms that he could have turned away from the Dark Side years before he did.
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Even inEpisode III: Revenge of the Sith, Padme recognized the significance of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship,knowing that Obi-Wan would do whatever it took to help the two in their precarious situation. Their relationship was so strong thatStar Warsofficially confirmed Vader knew he could return to Obi-Wan and be forgiven, if he chose to, even just days after Order 66. This came during his first official mission post-Mustafar, when Palpatine sent him to kill an Order 66 survivor and claim the Jedi’s kyber crystal.
Upon Vader’s first attempt to bleed the crystal, the crystal fought back by showing him the future he could have if he walked away from the dark side at that very moment.
After Vader succeeded in his quest, his next step was to remove the crystal from the lightsaber that previously belonged to a Jedi and bend it to his will. This was a process all Sith used to create their red-bladed lightsabers, as their actions essentially broke the crystal’s resilience and caused it to bleed.Upon Vader’s first attempt to bleed the crystal, the crystal fought back by showing him the future he could have if he walked away from the dark side at that very moment and left the Empire and Palpatine behind.
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In the vision of the possible future, Vader’s helmet cracks, revealing Anakin’s blue eyes–not the yellow eyes of his Sith counterpart. Anakin realizes the enormity of his errors and reassembles the lightsaber, making it a Jedi weapon againbefore returning to Palpatine, telling the Emperorthat he’s made his decision – he chooses to be a Jedi once more. Anakin strikes down Palpatine before leaving to travel to a planet that looks like Naboo, though it is left unnamed. There, he finds Obi-Wan and falls to his knees, begging for his old friend/master’s forgiveness.
Obi-Wan is consistently characterized as a person who does not hold grudges. He is kind, caring, and would do nearly anything for Anakin, and the future Vader sees confirms that Anakin is well aware of that fact.
Despite all the death and destruction caused byAnakin’s deep-rooted fear and manipulation at Palpatine’s hands,the Obi-Wan of Anakin’s potential future immediately powers down his lightsaber when he realizes the armored man in the helmet is Anakin.In this instance, the kyber crystal is not showing Vader an imaginary scenario, but the real future that awaits him if he rights his wrongs and chooses light over darkness this time. Obi-Wan would be thereto accept Anakin with open arms and an open heart.
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Given that Obi-Wan also suffered greatly from the actions he was forced to take whenbattling Anakin to the death on Mustafar,discovering that he actually did not kill the person who was as good as family–the man he had essentially raised since childhood–would heal Obi-Wan as much as Anakin’s return to his master and the light side would heal his own. Obi-Wan is consistently characterized as a person who does not hold grudges. He is kind, caring, and would do nearly anything for Anakin, and the future Vader sees confirms that Anakin is well aware of that fact.
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In the end,Vader yet again wins out over Anakin.The clear blue eyes shown in the kyber crystal’s vision are quickly yellow as soon as reality sets back in, indicating that Vader is alive and in control, not Anakin Skywalker. The transition is heartbreaking,emphasizing Anakin’s “death” at the hands of his own rage and inability to accept the mistakes he’s made.Vader doubles down and easily bleeds the crystal, solidifying his place as a Sith by creating a red lightsaber and returning to his new master, Palpatine.
The implications of the future shown to Vader are massive for Anakin Skywalker. Redemption was at hand, even after he participated in the slaughter of the entire Jedi Order and ultimately caused Padme’s death. Obi-Wan would still have been there for Anakin, helping him reclaim and redeem himself, perhaps even withthe help of Anakin’s twin children.The fact thatObi-Wandid not give up onDarth Vaderin the days following their tragic confrontation on Mustafar shows just how far Obi-Wan would go for his apprentice.
